Jamaican Olympian Christopher Taylor has revealed uncertainty over his future as a track and field athlete following the 30-month ban imposed on him by the Athletics Integrity Unit. The 24-year-old Taylor, a finalist in the 400m at the Tokyo Olympics, was charged with evading, refusing or failing to submit a sample and was banned effective November 16, 2022.

His period of ineligibility will end on May 15, 2025, when Taylor will be 26 years old.

Taylor, speaking with Nationwide Radio (NNN), expressed his frustration at the reality that he will miss almost three years of his career when he will be at his peak.

“I haven’t made a decision about my future as yet but deep down I don’t feel I belong in this sport anymore because of the whole experience I had, I don’t think I have a place in this sport anymore,” he said.

The incident occurred during an Out-of-Competition Testing attempt in Kingston, Jamaica, on November 16, 2022, where Taylor failed to submit to sample collection as required by the Whereabouts information provided.

According to the NNN report, the 2018 World U20 400m silver medalist claims that the doping control officers arrived at his home shortly before 6:00 am when he was about to leave for the airport for an 8:00 am flight and was in the process of filing new whereabouts information since he was leaving the location he had initially entered into the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS).

He claims the doping control officers informed him that since he did not complete the update overnight they would have to go through with testing him. He said he takes the blame for believing that if he did not allow the officers to test him, it would only go down as a missed test for which there would be no sanction.

Athletes have to have three missed tests for it to be considered an anti-doping violation.

Taylor’s actions initiated an AIU investigation, and on January 10, 2023, they informed Taylor of the potential failure to comply, issuing a Notice of Investigation. Taylor, through his legal representative, expressed a willingness to discuss an admission of committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) without prejudice. Consequently, he accepted a Provisional Suspension starting from January 19, 2023.

During an interview with AIU representatives on February 2, 2023, Taylor provided his explanation for the circumstances surrounding the possible failure to comply. The AIU conducted additional follow-up inquiries, leading to the issuance of a Notice of Allegation of ADRV on May 25, 2023, specifically for evading, refusing, or failing to submit to sample collection.

On June 1, 2023, Taylor confirmed his request to discuss an admission of committing an ADRV without prejudice. The AIU, Taylor, and the World Anti-Doping Agency entered into a Case Resolution Agreement, whereby Taylor admitted to the ADRV, leading to a 30-month period of ineligibility starting from the violation date, November 16, 2022, until May 15, 2025.

Additionally, Taylor's competitive results from November 16, 2022, until January 19, 2023, are disqualified, including the forfeiture of any associated medals, points, and prize money/prizes.

Noted international sports attorney Dr. Emir Crowne believes the charge laid by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) against Jamaican quarter-miler Christopher Taylor is a case of over-reach.

The 23-year-old Olympic 400m finalist has been charged by the Athletics Integrity Unit with violating Article 2.3 of the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, which states: "Evading, Refusing or Failing to Submit to Sample Collection. The Evading Sample collection, or without compelling justification, refusing or failing to submit to sample collection after notification as authorized in applicable anti-doping rules.”

Taylor now faces a possible maximum penalty of a four-year ban from the sport.

According to reports, in November 2022, doping control officers (DCO’s) turned up at Taylor’s residence in Kingston to find that he was not there. When they called him, he informed them he was at the Norman Manley International Airport awaiting a flight to the United States that had been booked on his behalf.

The DCO’s turned up at the airport but Taylor was unable to produce a urine sample before his flight’s scheduled departure. He took the flight and as a consequence was deemed to have evaded the test.

However, according to Dr Crowne, the Canada-based Trinidadian attorney, the case against Taylor should not have been classified as such in the first place.

“Based on what’s in the public domain, I think, with all due respect, this is an over-reach by the anti-doping authorities. It’s a clear over-reach, quite frankly. The type of conduct envisioned by evasion and refusal and so on, is not the type of conduct at play here,” Dr Crowne opined.

“Here you have someone, who through failures of whereabouts information was boarding a plane. It’s not like he had power over the flight, power to stop the flight. Quite frankly, this should have been a whereabouts violation. This should not be an evasion or refusal allegation.”

Dr Crowne contends that the anti-doping authorities have to take some responsibility when athletes’ careers and reputations are in their hands.

“Here you have a young, black male Jamaican athlete and his career is on the line for what I genuinely believe is an over-reach by the anti-doping authorities. This is a whereabouts failure, at best,” he said.

“It’s not a refusal or evasion to board a scheduled flight that you had booked, That’s easily verifiable.

“I honestly hope that he gets the best outcome because the authorities have over-reached in this matter.”

Dr Crowne has successfully represented several Caribbean athletes in anti-doping matters over the past few years including Jamaica’s Briana Williams as well as quarter-miler Ryker Hylton.

He also represented 2019 World 400m champion Salwa Eid Naser in her whereabouts violation case in 2020.

Jamaican 400m runner Christopher Taylor is facing a lengthy absence from the track after being charged by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for violating the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Anti-Doping Code Article 2.3, as reported by the Jamaica Observer and independently verified by SportsMax.TV.

Article 2.3 states: "Evading, Refusing or Failing to Submit to Sample Collection. The Evading Sample collection, or without compelling justification, refusing or failing to submit to Sample collection after notification as authorised in applicable anti-doping rules."

The Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association and the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission have, reportedly, already been notified by the AIU.

The Olympic and World Championship finalist now faces a minimum two-year ban from the sport per World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Anti-Doping rule 10.3.1 which states: "For violations of Article 2.3 or Article 2.5, the period of Ineligibility shall be four years unless, in the case of failing to submit to Sample collection, the Athlete can establish that the commission of the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional (as defined in Article 10.2.3), in which case the period of Ineligibility shall be two years."

The 23-year-old hasn’t competed since August 30^th of last year. His personal best, 44.63, was achieved earlier in that month to win at the NACAC Championships in Freeport.

Jamaica’s men were the only Caribbean nation to crack the top ten for the most points accumulated at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon in July.

The team, who is in a rebuilding phase after dominating men’s track and field for almost a decade, finished in a three-way tie for fifth on the table with 20 points. Eight points are accumulated for first place and a point for eighth.

Hosts USA, thanks to standout performances from the likes of Noah Lyles, Michael Norman and Fred Kerley to name a few, absolutely dominated the Championships and finished at the top of the table with 118 points.

The rest of the top ten was rounded out by Kenya (46), Great Britain (28), Canada (24), Jamaica (20), Ethiopia (20), Uganda (20), Norway (17), Spain (17) and South Africa (12).

Jamaica’s only medal came in the 4x400m where the team of Akeem Bloomfield, Jevaughn Powell, Nathon Allen and Christopher Taylor ran 2:58.58 for silver behind the USA.

They also finished just outside the medals in the 4x100m where Akeem Blake, Oblique Seville, Yohan Blake and Jelani Walker combined to run 38.06 to finish behind Canada (37.48), USA (37.55) and Great Britain (37.83).

Individually, Seville had the best performance finishing fourth in the 100m in 9.97 behind the American trio of Fred Kerley (9.86), Marvin Bracy (9.88) and Trayvon Bromell (9.88).

Jamaica’s other two individual finalists to place in the top eight were Jaheel Hyde who finished sixth in the 400m Hurdles and Christopher Taylor who finished seventh in the 400m.

Bahamas' Shaunae Miller-Uibo put on a show for her hometown fans with a dominant display to win the women’s 400m on day 2 of the NACAC Athletics Championships, in Grand Bahama, on Saturday.

The Olympic and World Champion left very little to doubt as she left the blocks and quickly covered the field by the top of the straight.

World championship bronze medalist Sada Williams of Barbados looked to battle back against Miller-Uibo down the stretch but the Bahamian had enough to pull a few metres clear by the finish line.

Miller-Uibo, who has lost just once in 8 races over the distance this season, stopped the clock in 49.40, her fourth fastest time of the season.  Williams finished second in 49.86, while Jamaica’s Stephenie-Ann Mcpherson was third in 50.36.

In the men’s equivalent, Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor recorded his fastest time over the distance this season after outbattling his opponents down the stretch to stop the clock at 44.63, only his second time below 45 seconds this season.  Another Jamaican Nathon Allen was second in 45.04 with the United States’ Bryce Deadmon third in 45.06.

World championships gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Commonwealth champion Sada Williams have both advanced to the final of the 400m of the 2022 NACAC Open Championships that got underway in Freeport, the Bahamas on Friday.

World 200m champion Shericka Jackson, Commonwealth Games 110m hurdles gold medallist Rasheed Broadbell and Christopher Taylor have all been included in Jamaica’s 39-member team to the NACAC Area Championships set to run from August 19-21 in The Bahamas.

The recently concluded 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene saw the Caribbean region grab the opportunity to represent themselves well on a global stage with both hands.

The region took home 17 medals in total including five golds, nine silvers and three bronzes with Jamaica leading the Caribbean medal count with 10 ahead of Grenada and the Dominican Republic who got two each while the Bahamas, Barbados and Puerto Rico all took home one apiece.

There were a number of standout performances throughout the 10 days starting with Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson.

Fraser-Pryce produced a championship record 10.67 to defend her 100m title and win her fifth in total. Fraser-Pryce also won her second 200m medal in her World Championships career, a silver in a season’s best 22.81.

Jackson ran a personal best 10.73 for silver in the 100m behind Fraser-Pryce and followed that up with one of the performances of the championships in the 200m. She produced a time of 21.45 to win her first global title and become the fastest woman alive over the distance.

Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah came third in the 100m in 10.81 to complete Jamaica's second consecutive 100m clean sweep at a major championship.

Fraser-Pryce, Jackson and Thompson-Herah then teamed up with Kemba Nelson to win silver in the 4x100m in 41.18 behind the USA (41.14).

We now move to the 400m where the Caribbean women swept the medals. Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo became the first female to complete the world event cycle (gold medals at the World Youth Championships, World Junior Championships, World Indoor Championships, World Championships and Olympics) by finally winning her maiden world title with a world-leading 49.11.

The Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino, the world leader coming into the Championships, followed up her silver medal in Tokyo last year with 49.60 to claim silver once more.

Barbados’ Sada Williams produced a brilliant personal best and national record 49.75 to take home bronze, becoming the first Barbadian woman to win a World Championship medal.

In the men’s equivalent, Grenadian superstar Kirani James ran 44.48 for silver behind American Michael Norman (44.30). This was James’ third World Championships medal and first since 2015 when he won bronze.

Paulino was also part of the brilliant quartet that took the Dominican Republic to gold in the Mixed Relay. Paulino combined with Fiordaliza Cofil, Lidio Andres Feliz and Alexander Ogando to run 3:09.82 for gold.

Staying on the track, Jamaica’s Britany Anderson followed up on the promise she’s shown all season to secure a silver medal in the 100m hurdles.

Anderson ran a new national record 12.31 in the semi-finals before running a wind-aided 12.23 to secure the silver medal behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan who clocked an astounding 12.06 for victory after running a legal world record 12.12 earlier in the semis.

Puerto Rican Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn ran the same time as Anderson to take home bronze.

Jamaica picked up silver medals in both the men's and women's 4x400m relays. The men comprising of Ackeem Bloomfield, Nathon Allen, Jevaughn Powell and Christopher Taylor registered 2:58.58 to finish behind the USA (2:56.17) while the women with Candice McLeod, Janieve Russell, Stephenie Ann McPherson and Charokee Young produced 3:20.74 to finish behind the Americans (3:17.79).

In the field, Grenada’s Anderson Peters became only the second man to defend his javelin world title.

The 2022 world leader produced a best throw of 90.54m to successfully defend his title from Doha three years ago, replicating a feat only matched by Czech world record holder Jan Zelezny who won consecutive world titles in 1993 and 1995 before returning to top spot in 2001.

Peters produced an amazing series, registering 90.21m, 90.46m, 87.21m, 88.11m, 85.83m and 90.54m in his six rounds.

Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts produced a season’s best 14.89m to take silver in the women’s triple jump behind Venezuelan world record holder and Olympic champion Yulimar Rojas (15.47m).

Ricketts produced jumps of 14.89m, 14.86m, 14.37m, 14.40m, 14.62m and 14.80m for one of her best series of her career.

The region will be hoping for an even better showing at the 2023 World Championships scheduled for August 19-27 in Budapest, Hungary.

Newly minted national record holder Britany Anderson won the silver medal in a fast 100m hurdles final on Sunday’s closing day of the 2022 World Championships of Athletics at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Aided by a wind of 2.5m/s, Anderson, in her first world championships final, ran a fast 12.23 to finish in second place behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, who clocked a ridiculously fast 12.06 to win the gold medal.

Amusan, who is coached by Jamaican Olympian Lacena Golding-Clarke, shattered the USA’s Kendra Harrison’s world record of 12.20 in the semi-final when she clocked a stunning 12.12s.

Harrison was second in the heat with a season-best 12.27 but the American was unable to handle the pace in the final and was subsequently disqualified after hitting a number of hurdles.

Anderson, meanwhile, broke Danielle Williams’ national record of 12.32 set in 2019, when she won her semi-final heat in 12.31 while holding off the Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who clocked 12.32.

Both women shared the time of 12.23 in the finals but Anderson was 0.005 seconds faster and hence awarded the runner-up spot.

Alia Armstrong of the USA was fourth in 12.38 while Cindy Sember who ran a new British record of 12.50 in the semis, clocked 12.41 for fifth.

Danielle Williams ran 12.44 for sixth with Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas running 12.53 for seventh.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s men picked up their first medal of the championships when they finished second in the 4x400m relay. The USA won the gold medal in a world-leading 2:56.17 but the Jamaican quartet of Ackeem Bloomfield, Nathon Allen, Jevaughn Powell and Christopher Taylor – spared blushes for their male counterparts with a season-best 2:58.58.

Allen ran the fastest split on the second leg, 43.95 while Taylor completed the anchor leg in an impressive 43.98.

Belgium finished third in 2:58.72.

Jamaica’s women closed the championships with the third silver-medalist on the final day when they finished runner-up to gold medal favourites, the USA which ran a world-leading time of 3:17.79.

The Jamaican quartet of Candice McLeod, Janieve Russell, Stephenie-Ann McPherson and Charokee Young, clocked a season-best 3:20.74.

Great Britain was third in 3:22.64.

Jamaica won 10 medals at the championships - two gold, seven silver and a bronze medal.

Tokyo Olympics 400m finalists Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Marileidy Paulino, Candice McLeod and Stephenie-Ann McPherson all advanced to Friday’s 400m finals at the conclusion of the semi-final round of competition at the 2022 World Championships of Athletics at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Wednesday night.

Grenada’s Kirani James, Christopher Taylor and Nathon Allen of Jamaica as well as Johnathan Jones of Barbados all advanced to the semi-finals of the 400m at Sunday’s third day of the 2022 World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

However, it was a bittersweet morning session for the Caribbean quarter-milers as Jamaican champion Juvaughn Powell and Dwight St Hillaire of Trinidad and Tobago both crashed out finishing fourth and sixth, respectively in their respective heats. Their times were not good enough to be among the six fastest losers who advance.

With the top three finishers in each heat automatically qualifying for the next round, James, the fastest qualifier from the Caribbean, finished second in 45.29 with Allen in third in 45.61 in the penultimate of the six heats that was won by Botswana’s Boyapo Ndori in a personal best 44.87.

Taylor was also second in his heat, running 45.68, to finish behind gold-medal favourite Michael Norman who cruised to 45.37.

Jones took second in the opening heat won by world-record holder Wayde van Niekerk in 45.18. The Barbadian, who ran impressively during the NCAA season, ran 45.46 to be among the automatic qualifiers.

Also advancing was Mixed Relay gold medallist Lidio Andres Feliz from the Dominican Republic, who was third in the final heat in 45.87.

Rana Reider, the head coach at Florida-based Tumbleweed training group, has been warned and ejected from the 2022 World Athletics Championships after gaining ‘unauthorized access’, according to media reports.

Grenadian 2011 World and 2012 Olympic 400m Champion Kirani James was the lone Caribbean winner at Thursday’s Bislett Games, which is a part of the IAAF Diamond League, at the Bislett Stadium in Norway.

James, in tough conditions, ran 44.78 to win the Men’s 400m ahead of Botswana’s Isaac Makwala (45.45) and Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor (45.52).

Oslo marks James’ second straight win on the Diamond League circuit after producing a 44.54 effort to win in Rome on June 6^th.

2019 World Championships silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd threw 19.04m for fourth in the Women’s shot put. The USA’s Chase Ealey threw a personal best 20.13m to win ahead of the Netherlands’ Jessica Schilder (19.46m) and Portugal’s Auriol Dongmo (19.43m).

Briana Williams, Michelle Lee-Ahye and Shericka Jackson all advanced to the final of the Women’s 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade on Friday.

Williams followed up her personal best 7.06 in the heats with a time of 7.07 to win the third semi-final ahead of Lee-Ahye who ran 7.12 for second place and an automatic berth in the final.

Jackson came third in the first semi-final and qualified as one of the fastest losers with a personal best of 7.08. The final is scheduled for later on Friday.

Stephenie Ann-McPherson won semi-final one of the Women’s 400m in 51.26 ahead of Femke Bol (51.28). Aliyah Abrams of Guyana finished third in 51.57 to also advance to the final. Shaunae Miller-Uibo looked in ominous form, easily winning semi-final two in a comfortable season’s best 51.38.

Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago put himself in position for a medal when he won his semi-final heat in 46.15.

It was bad news for Christopher Taylor who appeared to suffer an injury and did not finish his semi-final heat.

The Women’s and Men's 400m finals are scheduled for Saturday.

Briana Williams ran a lifetime best to cruise into the semi-final round of the Women’s 60m dash as she debuted at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade on Friday morning Caribbean time.